S Africa courts Queens again
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) and their South African counterparts seem to have mended fences as the Queens have been invited to the Rainbow Nation for test matches with the Proteas next month.
Relationship between NAM and Netball South African got strained a few years ago when, with the hosts having paid for air tickets, the Queens failed to travel to South Africa due to lack of funds for some expenses.
The South Africans asked for a refund of over K10 million (about $40 000). But NAM president Rosy Chinunda on Wednesday said the matter is closed as the two governments handled it.
“They want the Queens for some test matches end of August. The invitation came two months ago but we did not want to come to the media early as we wanted to have all details about the trip.
“Our plan is to have the team in camp immediately after the Presidential Cup on July 29 as the coach [Griffin Saenda] asked for some four weeks of camp. Playing South Africa is a step forward as they recently beat Jamaica and winning over them could help us consolidate our rankings,†explained Chinunda.
The Queens and the Proteas are rivals as they lie fifth and sixth on the world rankings. Malawi is rated number one in Africa while South Africa is  second.
Malawi lifted the African Championship recently in Tanzania while South Africa snubbed the continental event opting to play against top ranked Jamaica.
“Our budget for camp training is around K700 000 (about $2 800) and we hope this time around the Queens will travel to South Africa and play some three test matches,†said Chinunda.
